The class had split into two camps.
The first was led by Thomas — charismatic, confident, the natural leader. Charming, always at the center of attention.
And the second — by Peter. He used to be seen as nothing more than an annoying troublemaker. Rude. Unstable.
But now it became clear: behind his hot temper was an uncompromising honesty. He was like fire — wild, scorching, but real. Not a trace of pretense. He said what he thought. Even if his words cut deep.
Ironically, not long ago, he was the one on Thomas's leash.
But now… everything had changed.
Even he didn't expect his angry, emotional words to resonate — even with someone he'd had a fight with.
"Mike?.. I didn't think you'd take my side. Especially after I…"
"Don't," — Mike cut him off, frowning. "Don't make excuses. I still can't stand you. And you seriously piss me off."
Peter suddenly grabbed him by the collar:
"Say that again?"
But Mike calmly put a hand on his shoulder and said:
"Chill out. Yeah, you're an impulsive idiot. But sometimes you hit the nail on the head."
"We're outsiders. We were summoned to a world we don't belong in. And now they want us to fight and kill beings we've never even had a problem with.
This isn't our war."
"True," — said Hans, stepping closer.
"I hate to admit it, but today you're actually making sense."
'If you were a little less hot-headed… and damn it, if you just changed that haircut — you'd make a way better leader than that playboy who doesn't give a damn about our class."
Three more joined them — Andrew, Yan, and Scott. They said nothing. Just gave a silent nod — clear and firm. A sign: we're with you.
"You just now realized I'm smart, huh?.." — Peter scoffed. "I've always been the smartest one here. You're just idiots who never noticed."
Hearing that, they all burst into genuine laughter. No tension. No pretending.
Just… like real friends.
And so a new group was born. Not for power. Not for greatness.
But for justice and the truth.
And for survival.
Thomas and his group watched what was happening with irritation.
No — with hatred.
Or maybe… even with envy.
When greedy and spiteful people see someone finding support, gaining allies, and growing stronger — they begin to rot from the inside.
Tormented by the very thing they lack.
This isn't theory — it's personal experience. The experience of the Emperor of the Chessboard. I've seen it too many times. And so I'll say it plainly: I once thought better of Thomas. But he turned out to be even worse than any plebeian I've ever dealt with.
Among the classmates, there were still those who stayed on the sidelines. Neutral.
Hesitant.
Like, for example, Alice.
But her friend Anna still sided with Thomas — most likely because of some romantic feelings. Like most of the girls in his circle.
And then, just when the tension seemed to ease for a moment — Thomas's voice cut through the air like broken glass. Sharp. Contemptuous. Poisoned with mockery:
"Peter, you're just a pathetic dog who dared to go against his master."
He spoke loudly, with a sneer, deliberately — making sure everyone heard.
Peter flared up instantly. Fire lit in his eyes. He was ready to lash out — with words or action.
But then a hand rested on his shoulder. Calm. Steady.
Hans.
He stepped forward and looked Thomas in the eye — steady and firm:
"You say that out of weakness, Thomas.
You know, I used to respect you.
Thought you were smart. Thought you could lead people.
But looking at you now… — Hans's voice dropped, touched with quiet bitterness — I see just how wrong I was."
"You're pathetic."
The words hit home.
Thomas paled. His gaze sharpened like a blade.
"You called me pathetic?!" — he hissed, stepping closer.
"And who the hell do you think you are, to butt into a conversation between me and this… dog?"
"Pathetic playboy — that's exactly what you are,"
Hans replied calmly, not looking away.
"And tell me — why shouldn't I stand up for my friend?"
Hearing those words, Thomas started shaking with rage. He was grinding his teeth, and fury burned in his eyes.
"Friend? Really? Don't make me laugh! No one in our class would ever be friends with that pathetic creature."
"Don't lie to me. That's nonsense!
Total, pathetic nonsense!" — Thomas shouted, keep shaking with anger.
To be honest, it surprised me too.
How can you call someone a friend when just a couple of minutes ago you had such tense relations?
If he had just called him an ally, that would've made more sense and been easier to understand. For now, they're simply on the same side in this conflict. But he called him a friend.
Honestly, I don't understand what's going on in these kids' heads.
At these provocative words, Hans didn't answer anything and even look at him.
He just turned around and walked away — calm and silent, like Thomas wasn't even there.
"I really didn't think he was that much of an idiot." he said quietly to himself.
He went back to Peter, Mike, and the others.To the ones who stood on the other side.
Now not only Peter… but even Hans had openly turned against him.
"Maybe… maybe we should leave them alone for now?" — Frederick said uncertainly, a member of his circle, casting a worried glance at Thomas.
"The situation is already very tense."
"Stay out of it," Thomas snapped, not even looking at him.
"It's just… right now really isn't the best time for conflict," Frederick dared to continue.
"It'll only spark more unnecessary hostility…"
At least this guy has a head on his shoulders.
"Oh? So now you're going against me too?" — Thomas turned sharply, his eyes flashing.
"Want to stand with these pathetic creatures?"
Thomas said, pointing his finger at Peter's group.
"But…"
Frederick didn't know what to say.
Thomas's face twisted with cold fury.
"Don't you dare tell me what to do. This is your last warning. Want trouble? I'll give you trouble."
"Don't bother Thomas right now,"
Dennis said sharply, stepping into the conversation — probably another one of his close followers. His physique looked even more powerful than Peter's. He could easily be mistaken for Thomas's personal bodyguard.
The girls from his circle didn't like it either — that Frederick had dared to question Thomas.
"I understand… I'm sorry," Frederick muttered timidly.
Smart guy — but weak-willed.
"A wise choice," Thomas said with a scornful smirk.
I used to call Peter a dog on a leash, flashed through my mind. But now… it's Thomas who looks like a pathetic dog. Aggressive. Twitchy. Unable to control his emotions. Impulsive. Foolish. He's just not meant to be a good leader.
And still… his circle stay with him. Why? No idea. Following someone like that is like holding a one-way ticket to nowhere.
Meanwhile, Peter looked at Hans. A flicker of sincere, quiet gratitude passed over his face.
"Thank you, Hans…" — he said quietly.
"This is the first time someone's ever called me a friend. And stood up for me."
"Don't mention it. We're friends now," — Hans replied. He looked a bit shy, but his voice was steady.
"And don't forget about us," — added Mike, Andrew, Jan, and Scott.
"We're with you too."
"Thanks, guys," said Peter, accepting their friendship and care.
But Thomas was boiling with even more fury.
"Are you all out of mind?! How dare you turn against me?! I'm the leader! You're supposed to obey me! Follow my orders!"
He sounded like a spoiled child suddenly denied his favorite toy.
How this plebeian irritates me.
His circle quickly joined the argument.
Clarissa — one of the main figures in his circle, maybe even his girlfriend. She was always near him, always on his side, always flattering him.
She stepped forward, her voice dripping with mockery:
"Haha! Are you seriously defending this leashed dog? Seems like you're all losers, just like him. Losers always stick together."
Anna joined in:
"He beat you up, Mike! When you tried to protect Alice! And now you're on his side? That's just ridiculous!"
She had already attacked him with those words. It means that the answer didn't satisfy her. Instead of calming things down, she's only making it worse. I didn't expect that from this girl — she seemed so shy at first. Haha. Love and feelings really do blind people. Trying to earn more "social points" to get Thomas's attention? I thought to myself with a smirk.
Mike replied calmly, without raising his voice:
"No, ridiculous is blindly following someone who brings nothing but chaos to our class. Thomas isn't a leader. He's just foolish playboy who doesn't care anyone except himself."
"It's a shame you can't see it. What happened between me and Peter… It's not your business. That was between us. Two guys. I overstepped too. Got involved where I shouldn't have."
Peter looked at him and said:
*I want to apologize too. I was an Idiot. I acted on impulse. Didn't control my emotions."
"It's alright," — Mike said with a light smile.
"Forget it. That's in the past."
After that, they shook hands as a sign of reconciliation.
Then Peter stepped forward and stood right in front of Thomas.
"Listen, Thomas. Your daddy is not here to cover for you anymore.
We're in another world. A strange, messed-up world. And he won't save you here. So shut your mouth. No one has to obey you now. Your orders mean nothing here."
"Shut up!" — Thomas screamed.
"You piss me off, you bastard!"
His circle also jumped in, hurling insults at Peter — shouting, yelling, throwing blame.
But Peter wasn't alone anymore. His friends stood with him.
The conflict exploded into the open. The argument turned into a full-on shouting battle.
Mockery. Noise. Chaos.
Alice and the others, who had stayed on the sidelines until now, just froze.
They were in shock.
They didn't know what to do.
They didn't know whose side to take.
I turned my gaze to the goddess again.
She didn't interfere in their conflict at all.
On the contrary — it seemed she was enjoying the spectacle. Just like I was.
We were… on the same wavelength.
There was a sweet, light smile on her face — as if this was exactly what she wanted:
for these kids to tear each other apart.
I still can't accept the fact that I was wrong about Thomas. At first, I had no idea why someone like him lost his self-control and started acting like a plebeian — after all, at first, he was behaving rationally and had self-control. But then he started behaving worse than any plebeian.
But seeing the goddess's expression now, a puzzle is starting to form in my mind — some guesses, some suspicions:
As I said earlier, Thomas was a cold, calculating leader. But as soon as Echiria appeared — stood in front of him — it was like he lost his mind. His circle too.
I suppose I agree with Peter, with Hans, and with the others who now stand against him:
yes, he's a playboy. That's a fact.
But I still can't believe that he really lost all reason.
Peter once said Thomas became the leader of the class because of his father's influence. But even so — it still takes brains, strategy, and leadership. If he was totally weak, then no matter who helped him, he wouldn't have been able to hold on to that position — or make it stronger.
Put simply: You can't do that without a head on your shoulders.
Maybe she used some magic on him? That's entirely possible.
Before Keller killed me, he used teleportation magic to dodge my shot. I absolutely didn't expect that — because I didn't even believe magic existed.
And still, I don't know what kinds of magic there are. I've only seen teleportation and the summoning of wings — the same wings I still possess now.
Also, according to Keller, he gave me many powerful magical abilities, but right now they're not available to me. Maybe they'll only unlock once I get a physical body.
After I first truly felt what real magic is — from that moment on, nothing in my head made sense anymore.
I don't know — it feels like I lost my mind. Like I completely lost the ability to think rationally.
Maybe even now… everything I'm saying is just nonsense. Because what I went through breaks every law of logic and reason.
To find the truth, you have to look at things from all sides. My fight with Keller and chess taught me that. I've been thinking about it for a few minutes now — and what came to my mind is this: maybe that goddess has magic that can control the mind… or at least affect it.
If so... Now she's using Thomas and his circle to sow chaos by controlling their brains.
Honestly, I have no other explanation. They really act unstable, illogical — like puppets controlled by puppeteer.
She pulls the strings, and this plebeians jerk around, not realizing what they're doing.
Yes, there was some tension between Peter and Thomas from the beginning.
But this conflict shouldn't have escalated so suddenly and unnaturally.
And then, once all this kids are completely divided — it'll be much easier to control them.
Because a crowd torn apart by inner conflict is easy to dominate.
Always.
Of course, for now these are only guesses.
But I'm sure — they're close to the truth.
Echiria… I can't wait to see what you've planned.
Although… that's not my main concern right now.
The real issue is the body.
Right now, I'm just a spirit.
And during my time here, I didn't even notice how I began to turn more and more transparent.
Looks like my time is limited.
If I don't find a vessel in time —
I might simply disappear.
Dissolve.
Vanish forever.
It seems Keller wants me to take over someone's body.
But whose?..
What body would suit me?
I smirked at the thought.